Calculated Risk

AUGUST 30, 2022

S&P/Case-Shiller released the monthly Home Price Indices for June ("June" is a 3-month average of April, May and June closing prices). This release includes prices for 20 individual cities, two composite indices (for 10 cities and 20 cities) and the monthly National index. From S&P: S&P Corelogic Case-Shiller Index Decelerated in June The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S.

Management

Wealth Management

AUGUST 9, 2022

Products like Toggle, though hardly revolutionary, nonetheless represent significant steps forward in improving day-to-day efficiency for advisors.

The Big Picture

AUGUST 1, 2022

“I constantly remind our employees to be afraid, to wake up every morning terrified. Not of our competition — but of our customers.” -Jeff Bezos, 1998 Amazon shareholder letter. We all know how much FAANMG stocks have faltered this year, but there is a bigger story brewing: The companies themselves seem to have…lost their way. What once made them great has slipped into their historical legacy, with less innovation and far less delight to its end users.

Advertising

The Reformed Broker

AUGUST 8, 2022

Why did the stock market bounce this summer? Everyone has their explanation: The Fed might pivot! Inflation readings have now peaked! Oil prices are down 25%! China is ending the lockdowns! The labor market is staying strong! Earnings are still coming in better than expected! All true. But there’s an even better reason that doesn’t invalidate any of the ones I’ve posted above.

Marketing

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Accounting

Abnormal Returns

AUGUST 24, 2022

Podcasts Tim Ranzetta talks with Morgan Housel about the psychology of money. (ngpf.org) Jonathan Fields talks wealth and psychology with Patrice Washington host of the “Redefining Wealth Podcast.” (goodlifeproject.com) Jordan Harbinger talks with Dr. Brad Klontz — co-author of "Money Mammoth: Harness The Power of Financial Psychology to Evolve Your Money Mindset, Avoid Extinction, and Crush Your Financial Goals.

Retirement

Nerd's Eye View

AUGUST 22, 2022

Cash tends to exist at the forefront of individuals' day-to-day lives for many reasons: as a stable savings vehicle for near-term goals, a safety net for unforeseen emergency expenses, and, of course, to pay for daily living expenses, just to name a few. And this nearness to daily life means that cash - and how it is used - is also often at the forefront of individuals' minds.

Clients

Wealth Management

AUGUST 17, 2022

The only trend that appears to be undisputable in the return to office story is that there’s no one overarching trend.

The Big Picture

AUGUST 30, 2022

Source: AgWeb. If you are interested (as I am) in Real Estate , then allow me to suggest you consider exploring the world of Farmland. It is something I have done for a while, and it is a fascinating rabbit hole to fall into. Not so much as an investor, but as someone interested in how agriculture works (but yes, there is an investor angle here as well).

Sales

The Reformed Broker

AUGUST 29, 2022

Is this chart going up or down? It’s not a trick question. Just look at it and tell me what primary the trend is. You’d be amazed at how many financial advisors, insurance brokers acting as financial advisors, financial planners, wirehouse wealth managers, financial consultants and other assorted intermediaries in this business could not for the life of them look at this chart and give you a straight answer.

Financial Planner

Abnormal Returns

AUGUST 17, 2022

Podcasts Christine Benz and Jeff Ptak talk with Joe Saul-Sehy co-author of a new book "Stacked: Your Super-Serious Guide to Modern Money Management." (citywireusa.com) Demetri Kofinas talks with Vitaliy Katsenelson author of "Soul in the Game." (hiddenforces.io) Investing On the emotional advantage of caring less about your investments. (humbledollar.com) Thinking about money management as water management.

Retirement

Speaker: Dylan Secrest, Founder of Alamo Innovation and Construction Digital Transformation Consultant

Construction payment workflows are notoriously complex when you consider juggling multiple stakeholders, compliance requirements, and evolving project scopes. Delays in approvals or misaligned data between budgets, lien waivers, and pay applications can grind progress to a halt. The good news? It doesn't have to be this way! Join expert Dylan Secrest to discover how leading contractors are turning payment chaos into clarity using digital workflows, integrated systems, and automation strategies.

Budgeting

Nerd's Eye View

AUGUST 16, 2022

Welcome back to the 294th episode of the Financial Advisor Success Podcast ! My guest on today's podcast is Neel Shah. Neel is the Founder of Shah Total Planning, which itself is a combination of Beacon Wealth Solutions (an independent RIA) and Shah & Associates (a law firm) in Monroe Township, New Jersey, and oversees $57 million in assets under management for 50 client households.

Financial Advisor

Calculated Risk

AUGUST 5, 2022

Today we celebrate the recovery of all the jobs lost in 2020, and the unemployment rate matching the lowest level since 1969. The headline jobs number in the July employment report was well above expectations, and employment for the previous two months was revised up by 28,000, combined. The participation rate decreased slightly, and the employment-population ratio increased slightly.

Numbers

Wealth Management

AUGUST 3, 2022

We are seeing investors shift into smaller tertiary markets where competition is weaker, value-add properties where the potential for rent increases is higher.

Investing

The Big Picture

AUGUST 26, 2022

I had a fascinating conversation with an old friend who has been working in a giant bulge bracket firm his entire multi-decade career. What made this particular conversation so intriguing was his sudden epiphany about the Sell-side. Our previous discussions (debates really) were over the traditional model of brokerage I push back against versus the fee-based fiduciary asset management I embrace.

Accounting

Speaker: Victor C. Barnes, CPA, MBA

In the climb from contributor to leader, the rules quietly change. If you’re aiming for the summit, the air gets thinner—and what got you here won’t be enough to get you to the top (a concept first popularized by Marshall Goldsmith in his book What Got You Here Won’t Get You There ). What made you successful early in your finance career—technical accuracy, sharp analysis, flawless execution—won’t be what carries you to the next level.

Accounting

The Reformed Broker

AUGUST 27, 2022

I like the way Ari Wald at Oppenheimer frames the current technical set-up for the S&P 500. Now we’re caught between the declining 200-day and the rising 50-day – the latter might be the next major pivot point for short-term traders and for general sentiment depending on what happens if and when we get there: Here’s Ari: A Bullish Base vs. a Resuming Bear The S&P 500’s rejection from its 200-d.

Marketing

Abnormal Returns

AUGUST 5, 2022

Business Zack Fuss talks with Christian Bellinger about the business of luxury giant LVMH. (joincolossus.com) Howard Lindzon talks with Will Ahmed, founder and CEO of WHOOP. (howardlindzon.com) Barry Ritholtz talks with Hannah Elliott discuss how EVs are changing driving. (ritholtz.com) Derek Thompson talks with Ted Gioia on why old music is seemingly pushing aside new music.

Management

Nerd's Eye View

AUGUST 16, 2022

Welcome back to the 294th episode of the Financial Advisor Success Podcast ! My guest on today's podcast is Neel Shah. Neel is the Founder of Shah Total Planning, which itself is a combination of Beacon Wealth Solutions (an independent RIA) and Shah & Associates (a law firm) in Monroe Township, New Jersey, and oversees $57 million in assets under management for 50 client households.

Financial Advisor

Calculated Risk

AUGUST 5, 2022

From the BLS : Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 528,000 in July, and the unemployment rate edged down to 3.5 percent , the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Job growth was widespread, led by gains in leisure and hospitality, professional and business services, and health care. Both total nonfarm employment and the unemployment rate have returned to their February 2020 pre-pandemic levels.

Speaker: Kim Beynon, CPA, CGMA, PMP

The most overlooked, yet most critical, element of transformation is preparing people for change. Automation and AI aren't just technical upgrades, they’re cultural shifts which can challenge identities. That’s why change management isn’t a side project—it’s the foundation. In finance, where precision and process rule, navigating change can feel especially disruptive.

Management

Wealth Management

AUGUST 9, 2022

Like it or not, you are in the digital space. Here’s how to start using it to your advantage.

Financial Advisor

The Big Picture

AUGUST 25, 2022

Over the years, I have been involved in a fair share of investment conferences. This began with the Big Picture Conference at the New York Athletic Club, post-GFC. I had flipped bullish in March 2009, but I have vivid recollections that Fall of listening to Jim O’Shaughnessy of OSAM explain the history of markets following a 50+% crash. He was even more bullish than I was, and had the data to back it up.

Wealth Management

The Reformed Broker

AUGUST 22, 2022

Sharing this chart from Guggenheim showing that the S&P 500’s bear market bounce literally stopped on a dime and was turned away at the 200-day moving average. It’s almost too perfect. We manage our tactical portfolio based on technically-oriented rules not because it always works (it doesn’t!) but because it eliminates feelings like fear or fear of missing out from the decision-making process.

Portfolio

Abnormal Returns

AUGUST 7, 2022

Fund management The Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF ($BND) is set to become the biggest bond ETF. (ft.com) Four big trends in the asset management have been in place for a decade. (morningstar.com) Corporate governance only works if shares actually get voted. (etftrends.com) Coinbase How Coinbase ($COIN) lost its big lead to FTX and Binance. (nytimes.com) Why the Coinbase ($COIN)-Blackrock ($BLK) agreement is a big deal.

Financial Advising

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Clients

Nerd's Eye View

AUGUST 19, 2022

Enjoy the current installment of “Weekend Reading For Financial Planners” - this week’s edition kicks off with the news that the FPA is planning to leave the Financial Planning Coalition (which also includes the CFP Board and NAPFA) at the end of the year. This follows the FPA’s announcement that it plans to pursue title reform for the term “financial planner”, and signals that there may be coordination challenges or divergent strategies among the three organi

Financial Planner

Calculated Risk

AUGUST 11, 2022

From the MBA: Mortgage Delinquencies Decrease in the Second Quarter of 2022 The delinquency rate for mortgage loans on one-to-four-unit residential properties decreased to a seasonally adjusted rate of 3.64 percent of all loans outstanding at the end of the second quarter of 2022, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) National Delinquency Survey.

Economics

Wealth Management

AUGUST 23, 2022

Over 1,800 companies re-shored production in 2021, setting a new record for re-shoring activity, notes The Reshoring Initiative. These companies are looking for logistics facilities, warehouses and distribution sites.

Distribution

The Big Picture

AUGUST 17, 2022

Yesterday I spent some time with Eric Balchunas recording a Masters in Business podcast. Balchunas is Senior ETF Analyst for Bloomberg Intelligence and the author of “ The Bogle Effect: How John Bogle and Vanguard Turned Wall Street Inside Out and Saved Investors Trillions.”. It’s a fun conversation I’m sure everybody will enjoy. There are parts of our discussion I thought were obvious, but he convinced me as underappreciated: First and foremost, the intense disruption of low-c

Taxes

Speaker: David Worrell, CFO, Author & Speaker

Your financial statements hold powerful insights—but are you truly paying attention? Many finance professionals focus on the income statement while overlooking key signals hidden in the balance sheet and cash flow statement. Understanding these numbers can unlock smarter decision-making, uncover risks, and drive long-term success. Join David Worrell, accomplished CFO, finance expert, and author, for an engaging, nontraditional take on reading financial statements.

Numbers

The Reformed Broker

AUGUST 27, 2022

And if you haven’t subscribed yet, don’t wait. Check it out below or wherever fine podcasts are played. These were the most read posts on the site this week, in case you missed it: The post This Week on TRB appeared first on The Reformed Broker.

Abnormal Returns

AUGUST 3, 2022

Podcasts Steve Chen talks with Sam Dogen author of "Buy This, Not That: How To Spend Your Way To Wealth And Freedom." (newretirement.com) Christine Benz and Jeff Ptak talk with Jordan Grumet author of "Taking Stock: A Hospice Doctor's Advice on Financial Independence, Building Wealth, and Living a Regret-Free Life." (morningstar.com) Noah Kagan talks money moves with Ramit Sethi author of "I Will Teach You To Be Rich.

Retirement

Nerd's Eye View

AUGUST 22, 2022

Cash tends to exist at the forefront of individuals' day-to-day lives for many reasons: as a stable savings vehicle for near-term goals, a safety net for unforeseen emergency expenses, and, of course, to pay for daily living expenses, just to name a few. And this nearness to daily life means that cash - and how it is used - is also often at the forefront of individuals' minds.

Clients

Calculated Risk

AUGUST 2, 2022

From the NY Fed: Total Household Debt Surpasses $16 trillion in Q2 2022; Mortgage, Auto Loan, and Credit Card Balances Increase The Federal Reserve Bank of New York's Center for Microeconomic Data today issued its Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit. The Report shows an increase in total household debt in the second quarter of 2022, increasing by $312 billion (2%) to $16.15 trillion.

Retail

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